Facebook to let developers access user data

By Steven Musil on 27 April 2009, 10:54am

At a developer event on Monday, Facebook plans to announce that it will open up user-contributed information to third-party developers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The move would allow developers to build applications and services that -- with users' permission -- access user videos, photos, notes and comments. The move would be a significant change for the social-networking site, which has previously retained tight control over the site and how developers interact with it.

To allow developers to take advantage of the free feature, Facebook users would have to give the companies access to their data, and users' privacy settings would extend to new services built, according to the report.

Allowing developers to track shared data would be another salvo in Facebook's assault on microblogging site Twitter, which allows third-party developers to build applications and services on top of its service.

Of course, all this hinges on persuading Facebook's 200 million users to share their personal data, a topic that ruffled feathers in February. Facebook users threatened to revolt after the company announced changes to its terms of service that meant its licence on user content -- a longstanding but little-publicised claim to an "irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide licence" for promotional efforts -- would no longer expire if a member deleted their Facebook account.

But, facing a rebellion from thousands of users and a possible federal complaint from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the social-networking service returned to its previous terms.